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Doughty was born in London, Ontario, the son of Paul and Connie Doughty.[1] He was introduced to hockey when he was given a mini stick for his first birthday, was skating by the age of two and was playing before he was four.[2] Doughty also played soccer as a youth as a goaltender – his father had a history with the game and his sister Chelsea is named after the English team of the same name. He was considered for a provincial under-14 team, but gave up the sport at 16 to focus on hockey. Nonetheless, Doughty felt that his time playing goal in soccer helped him develop an awareness of the players and the game in hockey.[2]

Doughty was selected by the Guelph Storm fifth overall in the 2005 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection draft.[3] He scored five goals and 33 points for the Storm in 2005–06 and was named to the OHL All-Rookie Team on defence.[4] Doughty played in the 2007 OHL All-Star Game and was voted the top offensive defenceman in the league by the coaches following a 74-point season in 2006–07. He again won both honours in 2007–08 with a 50-point season,[5] and was awarded the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's outstanding defenceman.[6]National Hockey League (NHL) Central Scouting ranked Doughty as the third best North American prospect for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.[7] He was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Kings, a choice that excited Doughty as he grew up a Kings fan and wanted to play in Los Angeles.[8]

Doughty made the Kings opening day roster to start the 2008–09 NHL season, one of eight 18-year-olds to do so across the league.[9] Earning a spot on the Kings roster overwhelmed Doughty, who did not expect to play in the NHL so quickly.[9] He made his NHL debut on October 11, 2008, against the San Jose Sharks, and scored his first goal on October 20 against the Colorado Avalanche.[5] The Kings had the option of returning him to junior without using up one year of his rookie contract if they did so before he played his tenth NHL game. However, they chose to keep him on the roster for the season.[10] His defensive partner, Sean O'Donnell agreed with the decision, praising Doughty's maturity.[9] He played 81 games in his rookie season, finishing with six goals and 21 assists, earning a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team,[4] while also playing in the Youngstars Game as part of the 2009 All-Star fesitivities.[11]

Doughty improved to 59 points in his sophomore season of 2009–10 and finished third in the league in scoring amongst defencemen.[12] He was named to the second all-star team and was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenceman.[13] His coach, Terry Murray, praised Doughty for his improvement during the season.[14] Doughty helped lead the Kings into the playoffs for the first time since 2002, though they lost their first round series to the Vancouver Canucks.[15] He played all six games of the series despite suffering a wrist injury in the first game that forced him to decline an invitation to play for Canada at the 2010 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.[16]

The Kings' media voted Doughty the team's outstanding defenceman for the third consecutive season in 2010–11.[17] His offensive output fell from 59 points the previous season to 40, but he scored his 100th career point on December 21, 2010, against the Colorado Avalanche.[18] A restricted free agent following the season, Doughty and the Kings struggled to agree on a new contract. The Kings offered $6.8 million per season over seven years, but Doughty rejected the offer.[19] Though the Kings publicly stated they were not willing to sign him for a higher annual salary than team leader Anže Kopitar's $6.8 million, the two sides ultimately agreed on an eight-year, $56 million contract that made Doughty the highest paid player on the team at an average of $7 million per season.[20] Doughty missed the majority of Los Angeles' training camp as a holdout, including five pre-season games, before signing the contract on September 29, 2011.[21]

In addition to missing training camp, Doughty suffered a concussion early in the season that forced him onto injured reserve.[13] He struggled upon his return from the injury and faced criticism that he had allowed his physical conditioning to lapse. Doughty himself admitted that he was not enjoying the game early in the season. He said that his season turned a corner when the team replaced Murray with Darryl Sutter, a coach who preached the need for preparation.[22] Doughty was elevated into a role where he was expected to shut down the opposition's top forwards, forcing him to focus more on his defensive play than his offensive. Consequently, Doughty's 36 points on the season was his lowest total in three years.[13] He was the top-scoring defenceman in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, however, recording 16 points in 20 games to help the Kings win the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.[23] Doughty was praised as the top player for either team in the final series, a six-game victory over the New Jersey Devils.[24][25]

Doughty won the 2015–16 Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman. It was his third nomination; he finished second in voting in 2014–15 and third in 2009–10.[26]

He played in all eight games, recording two assists, as Canada finished the series unbeaten with seven wins and a tie.[32] He then earned a spot on the roster for the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[33] Doughty was named a tournament all-star, and given the Directorate Award for Best Defenceman after helping lead the Canadians to their fourth consecutive gold medal at the tournament.[34][35]

Following his rookie season in the NHL, Doughty made his debut with the senior team, playing in the 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.[36] He scored one goal and added six assists in nine games,[4] however the Canadians settled for silver after losing the championship game to Russia, 2–1.[37] His strong play in the World Championships earned Doughty an invitation to Canada's summer orientation camp for the 2010 Winter Olympics.[38] Doughty earned one of the final spots on the Canadian defence, beating out established players such as Dion Phaneuf, Jay Bouwmeester and Mike Green.[39] Doughty became the youngest player to represent Canada in a major best-on-best tournament since Eric Lindros participated in the 1991 Canada Cup at the age of 18.[38] He emerged as one of the top defenders on the team,[40] and won the gold medal as Canada defeated the United States in the final game.[41] He was on the ice when Sidney Crosby scored the tournament-winning goal in overtime.[42] Doughty was a star at the 2014 Winter Olympics,[43] where Canada defended its gold medal title. He led the team with four goals and featured prominently on a defensive core which allowed only three goals in six games en route to being undefeated, one of the best team performances in Olympic history.[44]